India-Pak cooperation against Locusts Attack

As another locust swarm comes from Pakistan, the spotlight is again on the India-Pakistan dynamic that has come into play. Do you know? The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) believes locusts have decimated close to 70,000 hectares of crops in Kenya, 30,000 hectares in Ethiopia and 42,000 hectares of crops in the state of Rajasthan.… Continue reading

[pib] Instant PAN through Aadhaar based e-KYC

The Union Finance Ministry has launched the facility for instant allotment of (Permanent Account Number) PAN. Try this question from CSP 2018: Q.) Consider the following gatemen. 1. Aadhaar card can be used as a proof of citizenship or domicile. 2. Once issued, the Aadhaar number cannot be deactivated or omitted by the Issuing Authority. Which… Continue reading

How effective is the stimulus package to revive the supply chains?

Disruption of the supply chains lies at the heart of the decline in the output amid lockdown. And the government has announced the fiscal stimulus to revive the economy. How effective will be the fiscal stimulus to streamline the supply chains? The focus of this article is on tackling this question. Disruption in supply chains… Continue reading

What is the Korean Armistice Agreement?

A United Nations investigation into a recent exchange of gunfire between North Korea and South Korea inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has determined that both countries violated the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Practice question for mains: Q. What is the Korean Armstice Agreement? Discuss the concept of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)? The… Continue reading

What is the doctrine of Force Majeure?

The recent spread of the Coronavirus has triggered a global slowdown and has rendered ongoing business operations of several organisations to almost a standstill. This has resorted them to invoking the ‘force majeure’ clause to seek some relief. Practice question for mains: Q) What is the doctrine of Force Majeure and Frustration of a Contract?… Continue reading

Species in news: Dugong

The dugong, commonly known as the sea cow, is fighting for its survival in Indian waters experts have said on the eve of ‘World Dugong Day’ on May 28, 2020. Try this question from CSP 2015: Q) With reference to ‘dugong’, a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1) It… Continue reading

R&D: Path to self-reliant India

What does it take to be self-reliant? (Hint: R&D!) This is the question this article tries to answer. After independence, we had a good start in R&D. But what went wrong? What was the role played by globalisation? Did the globalisation deliver on its promise of technology transfer? And finally, what lies on the way… Continue reading

What is South Atlantic Anomaly?

New data obtained by the European Space Agency (ESA) Swarm satellites has revealed the existence of a mysterious anomaly weakening the Earth’s magnetic field. Termed as ‘South Atlantic Anomaly’, it extends all the way from South America to southwest Africa. The term ‘South Atlantic Anomaly’ at its first sight looks similar to any climate/oceanic current… Continue reading

Aarogya Setu app is now open source

Amid concerns over privacy of data being collected by its COVID-19 contact tracing app, the union government has open-sourced the Aarogya Setu app. Right to Privacy is an important topic for GS. The Aarogya Setu app which has a lot more to offer is under the radar due to the underlying vacuum of Privacy Law… Continue reading

The perils of the liquidity push

Whether to focus on demand side or supply side is the dilemma policymakers dealing with the financial crises have always faced. If we look closely, the focus of the package announced by the government is on the supply side and pushing liquidity in the economy. This article examines the various measure announced in the package… Continue reading

CoAST India (Collaboration/Covid Action Support Group) Platform

India Observatory has come up with a GIS-enabled dashboard called CoAST India to monitor migrants in India. Here, UPSC may create an illusion on: India Observatory – open-source database (misleading name): It may be asked in relation to some ISRO project. CoAST India – COVID related info (again misleading): UPSC may ask it in context… Continue reading

Purandara Dasa and his legacy

The Department of Archaeology, Karnataka has commenced field research work regarding the birthplace of Purandara Dasa who is held as the father figure of Carnatic music. Recently there was a news on Lord Basaveshwara. Now comes the other popular saint. Vaishnavism and Shaivism are the two most profound strands of Bhakti Movement in Indian history.… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] Rise of Economic Nationalism

“Globalization presumes sustained economic growth. Otherwise, the process loses its economic benefits and political support.” Paul Samuelson Context Guess what Corona virus pandemic did that even Soviet union could not? It has shown the world decaying of the capitalist system. Spread of the virus has lead to various forms of lock downs across the globe.… Continue reading

Examining role played by Civil Society and NGOs in fight against Covid-19

Social capital is what civil societies are known as. The article highlights the valuable role played by the civil society, and NGO in the pandemic. They constitute the backbone of the collective expression of citizen interest in a democracy. So, read about the ways in which they can contribute in dealing with destruction due to… Continue reading

What is a Parallel Universe?

Twitter and other social media platforms are abuzz with the so-called ‘parallel universe’ that NASA has discovered. According to the claims, NASA has detected a parallel universe in Antarctica, where time runs backwards. ANITA experiment is significant for prelims. It can be asked in prelims in such match the pair questions- Q. Consider the… Continue reading

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on Nile and Various Issues

Africa’s longest river, the Nile, has been at the centre of a decade-long complex dispute involving several countries in the continent who are dependent on the river’s waters. At the forefront of this dispute, however, are Ethiopia and Egypt. Note: You never know when UPSC might switch map based questions away from the Middle East… Continue reading

[pib] L7 Quadricycle category for BS VI

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued a notification regarding the emission norms for L7 (Quadricycle) category for BS-VI. Practice question for Mains: Q. What are Bharat Stage Emission Standards (BSES)? Discuss how the early implementation of BS-VI norms will help curb vehicular pollution in India. What is Quadricycle Vehicle verification? The quadricycle… Continue reading

[pib] Shahapur’s Katkari Tribe

The newscard is based on the PIB news which discusses the success story of Katkari Tribe, a PVTG in Maharashtra regarding the implementation of Van Dhan Yojana. Try this: Consider the following statements about Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India: 1) PVTGs reside in 18 States and one Union Territory. 2) A stagnant or… Continue reading

Western Ghats yield 3 new plant species

A team of scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have reported the discovery of three new plant species from the evergreen forest patches of the southern end of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. One may get carried away from the heavy botanical names. But UPSC is known for asking ruthless… Continue reading

[Burning Issue] India-China Skirmish in Ladakh

“Hindi Chini bhai bhai” – The tale of these brothers is filled with so much action and drama that it can give Bollywood writers a run for money. See, border issues is never easy to resolve, never has been and never will be. Pangong Tso or Doklam – All point to Troubled LAC and an… Continue reading

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